Primary Election Day Bird Droppings

Don't forget to vote if you're a Republican or Democrat in Maryland or Delaware or the District of Columbia, if you didn't early vote already. Both have closed primaries, so you independent voters can just stay home.

Recaps of last night's win can be found at Orioles.com, The Sun, The Toronto Star, and MASNsports (with post-game Buck).

Steve Melewski: VandenHurk finally gets his chance
"Luke Scott was the last hero for the Orioles in their 11-inning win over Toronto Monday night, but Rick VandenHurk was likely the most important."

Injuries pile up in victory over Jays | orioles.com: News
"Rookie starter Brian Matusz suffered a left triceps contusion on the second at-bat of the game, and Brian Roberts' night ended after being struck in the right knee by Jason Frasor's pitch in the bottom of the eighth. Both Roberts and Matusz finished their respective half-innings before leaving, although O's manager Buck Showalter said both instances were more precautionary than anything else."

Orioles Insider: Matusz, Roberts and Lugo injury updates
Brian Matusz is hoping to make his next start, while Brian Roberts is probably on the bench for a day or so.

Orioles Insider: Buck Showalter T-shirt night: Great or goofy idea?
How is this even a question? It's the greatest idea in the history of sports marketing. Duh.

Orioles: Brandon Snyder pleased, surprised to get second straight start at first base - baltimoresun.com
The rookie played first base again, getting first major league hit and RBI.

Dear John letters: Your 2010 Baltimore Orioles - Big League Stew
Heath from Dempsey's Army gets a guest spot at Big League Stew, writing his adieu to the Orioles in 2010.

Explore Howard: The Driver's Seat / Jays’ Roenicke returns to Baltimore
Josh Roenicke, son of Gary, pitches for the Blue Jays now. His favorite player is Erik Bedard. We all have a soft spot for him, Josh. 

School of Roch: Mariners sink below Orioles
"Did you feel different when you woke up this morning? It might have something to do with the AL standings. Or the cocktail dress and blonde wig you were inexplicably wearing. Let's focus on the standings." I didn't drink THAT much last night, Roch.

The 2010 OBP > SLG Club | FanGraphs Baseball
"So without further ado, if the season ended today, here are the members of the 2010 OBP>SLG club, ranked in ascending order from those with the smallest OBP-SLG gap." Yup, Cesar Izturis is in that group, but there are batters with even worse discrepancies than Izzy's.

Maryland taxpayers should get what they're owed - baltimoresun.com
"The team's 30-year lease says it must pay a fourth of all stadium billboard revenue to the stadium authority, a state agency. But a few years ago the Orioles stopped honoring that deal for the home-plate ads, which get the most camera time. Those ads were directed mainly at TV watchers, not ticket-buying, seat-warming fans, they argued."

Kobritz: Potential MLB Players Trapped by NCAA's Arcane Rule
"The deadline for MLB teams to sign their picks from the Rule 4 draft in June expired on August 16. Shortly thereafter, representatives of several teams who failed to sign their first round picks complained publicly that they were forced to deal directly with agents representing players rather than the players themselves. Such action is a violation of NCAA Bylaw 12, an archaic, irresponsible, and in the opinion of one court, illegal restriction on a young man’s ability to receive competent advice when he needs it the most – while he’s negotiating a professional contract."

Harbor Park, Home of the Norfolk Tides
StadiumJourney.com continues its reviews of the minor league parks, this time with the home of the Tides.